The podcast discusses the importance of dependence on God for church staff members, emphasizing prayer, scripture reading, and guidance from God. It also highlights the significance of prioritizing prayer in ministry and the process of defining staff values. The hosts express gratitude to a guest contributor for their input on the project.
Dependency on God should be a practical lived-out concept, prioritizing prayer and seeking God's guidance.
Sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit should outweigh an overemphasis on strategy and planning.
Deep dives
Dependency on God as a Staff Value
One of the staff values discussed in the podcast is the importance of being dependent on God. The podcast hosts emphasize that simply assuming dependency is not enough, as it can be easily overlooked amidst the busyness of ministry. They emphasize the need to prioritize prayer, reading scripture, and relying on God's strength rather than just relying on personal gifts or the resources of a mega church. They highlight the importance of prayer as the work of the ministry and the significance of seeking God's guidance before strategizing and activating plans. They also encourage teams to create intentional time for prayer, both corporately and individually, to ensure that dependency on God remains a core value.
Sensitivity over Strategy
Another staff value discussed is the prioritization of sensitivity over strategy. The podcast hosts share their personal tendencies to focus on strategy and planning, often overlooking the importance of sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit. They emphasize the need to pause and seek God's guidance before taking action, rather than assuming that good ideas are always God's ideas. They encourage leaders to create space for listening and seeking God's direction, even if it may seem inefficient. The goal is to be a church that operates not solely on human efficiency, but one that understands the value of sensitivity to the Spirit in order to align with God's plans and purposes.
Gazing at Jesus
The podcast also highlights the value of consistently gazing at Jesus, emphasizing the importance of spending time in His presence and dwelling on His beauty. The hosts draw from Psalm 27:4, where David expresses his desire to gaze upon the Lord and inquire in His temple. They emphasize that glancing at Jesus or rushing through time with Him is insufficient. Instead, they encourage individuals and teams to make intentional space to sit and be still with Jesus, seeking a deeper relationship with Him. The hosts note that a staff's walk with God is the most important aspect of ministry, as ministering out of overflow and delight in Jesus is far more effective than striving without intimacy with Him.
Too often, we assume that we don’t need to tell church staff to rely on God. But Christians routinely affirm spiritual dependency as a concept without living it out practically, valuing strategy over sensitivity to the Spirit. This week’s podcast covers why dependence on God is at the top of Watermark’s core values for its staff and what this looks like practically.